Smuggler of Shadows Book 3: Survival
by Kadirika7211
Summary: Set between Episodes 3&4. Mandalorian pilot Kadira Sal was hired as a smuggler with one goal - snatching beings wanted by the Empire out of danger. Now, the tables have turned and she has become the fugitive, helped by an unlikely source. But not all is as it seems as ulterior motives are brought to light and newly formed friendships are tested. Rated T for some violence.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: So this is the third story in what's shaping up to be a series of Fanfics. I'd highly recommend reading the first and second fics first, as this one will contain spoilers for the previous ones. (Also, it will make more sense if you know the backstory :) _

_Disclaimer- I own nothing Star Wars. It all belongs to George Lucas, etc. All I own are the characters I've created and the plotline I've come up with :)_

* * *

Ran Scorlo slammed his fist down on the table in front of him in frustration, ignoring the screech of protest the rickety metal gave.

Two days. Two days since he had watched his pilot and friend Kadira Sal be injured by a bomb placed on her own ship. He could still see in his mind's eye the way she had been tossed backward like a rag doll, her head slamming against the durasteel wall of her ship. He could still smell the acrid tang of explosives, and could still remember the feeling of Laniff Dreysel's armored body slamming Ran out of harm's way. Ran had risen to his feet in a daze only to find both Mandalorians pinned beneath debris.

"Get out of here, _di'kut_," Laniff had growled, struggling in vain against the objects pinning his red and gold armored form to the floor. "They find you and we're all dead."

And so Ran had been faced with a choice, a choice he had hoped he would never have to make. He could help those he had come to view as friends, or he could continue the mission he had dedicated his life to. Even then, he had known what his choice would be. Laniff had known too, fighting to get free in order to help Kadira who was unconscious, a deep gash in her forehead slowly seeping blood. The screeching of the ship's ramp had forced Ran's hand, making him choose before the _Vanguard_ was boarded and the choice was made for him.  
So he had chosen the mission, leaving Kadira and Laniff in the hands of the Empire as he made his way to the escape pods. And he hated himself for it every step of the way. More than once he almost turned back, almost chose to share the fate of his team. But Laniff's words stopped him, reminded him it wouldn't matter. The Empire wanted Ran Scorlo. Kadira Sal and Laniff Dreysel were simply a means to that end, and the moment Ran was caught they would be disposed of. And if Ran knew the Empire, their deaths would not be quick or painless.

"Kark it all," he growled, placing his head in his hands. It wasn't supposed to be this way. Kadira was never supposed to have become a target. She was supposed to have been the faceless Mandalorian, unknown by the Empire. But she had proven to be too good at her job. The Empire had latched onto her, placing a sizeable bounty on her head and leaving her unable to remove her helmet unless she was among friends for fear she would be recognized. Now she was not only a prisoner of the Empire, but they would think she knew where he was. And that was almost worse than a death sentence. Laniff was another matter entirely. He had signed on in order to help a friend, sticking with Kadira even when things had gotten dangerous—because that was who he was. He was Mandalorian, and Kadira was his _vod_, his family. Ran almost envied the relationship the two Mandos had, trusting one another without question, especially in the heat of battle. They bantered back and forth, trading insults and Mandalorian words that Ran was unable to translate. And yet when push came to shove they never doubted one another.

Ran sighed and pushed himself to his feet, leaning his weight on the rickety table in front of him as he lost himself in his thoughts. Things had all started to go wrong on the first real mission. It had only been Kadira and Ran then, Laniff had yet to join the team. They had gone to the icy planet of Belsavis in order to rescue a senator who had in fact turned out to be an Imperial spy. Ran had acted as an Advisor to Kadira until his base was attacked by a woman named Coorta Mashiri, leaving only himself and one other man alive. Coorta had become a thorn in their side ever since, following them on their last rescue that had led them to the jungle moon of Dxun. Coorta and Kadira had battled, leaving Kadira injured but with the knowledge that Coorta was a member of Death Watch, a radical splinter group and mortal enemy of the Mandalorians. And now Ran was left on his own, struggling to find a way to rescue Laniff and Kadira even though his mission demanded he leave them behind. He often reminded himself that loyalty was a weakness he couldn't afford, that Kadira and Laniff had known the risks when they signed onto this mission. And yet each time he thought of them as Imperial prisoners undergoing only Force knew what kind of interrogations he found his blood boiling in rage.

He couldn't abandon them to their fate. He wouldn't.

* * *

Kadira Sal obediently placed one foot in front of the other as her armored guard marched her down the hall at gunpoint. She could probably disarm him with no trouble. In fact, she was sure of it. The only problem came from the fact that the rest of the prison was crawling with guards. Even she didn't have the skills to take them all on at once, not without her armor and the many gadgets and tools it boasted.

As it was, she could still feel the throbbing in her side from the stun stick she had been jabbed with after her latest escape attempt. The rest of her bruised body seemed to back up the assumption that patience was going to be required in order to escape.

"Still feeling that stun baton?" her guard asked in the accented voice of a clone trooper. Kadira lifted one dark brow at him, earning a low chuckle. "I would have thought three escape attempts in two days would have taught you something," he commented, slowing slightly to match her tired pace.

"It taught me what doesn't work," Kadira responded in her rasping voice, earning another chuckle.

"You Mandos. Always so karking stubborn."

"Like you troopers are any better," Kadira responded. "Besides you were cloned from a Mando."

The trooper tilted his head in acknowledgement of the point. "But my _vod_ were fellow clones, not Mandalorians."

Kadira stopped in her tracks and turned to face him, her eyes flashing in sudden anger. "You were trained by Mandalorians who gave up everything in order to make sure you didn't get your stupid selves killed. You speak the language, know the culture," her rasping voice was as loud as he had ever heard it, strained from the effort of lifting her voice above normal speaking level. As it was, Kadira didn't come anywhere near a shout, though he could tell she was trying as hard as she could. She pointed at the painted symbol on his helmet accusingly, the handcuffs on her wrists clinking with the force of the movement. "You even wear the Jaing eyes, a _Mandalorian_ mark of honor. Get your head on straight, _di'kut_. You know Mandos have risked their lives smuggling your kind out of the Empire's reach, trying to find a way to reverse your insane aging rate. So don't pretend like you and your brothers are untouched by your Mando blood. You're not."

Kadira would have continued, but her attention shifted to another group of guards shuffling a blonde prisoner down the hall. Serious brown eyes met hers and Kadira froze. Laniff. He looked exhausted, the dark circles under his eyes looking like bruises against his pale skin. Still, he gave her a slight smile and a wink as he passed, somehow managing to brush his hand against hers. Kadira felt something solid drop into her palm and closed her fist around it, resisting the urge to see what it was.

She glanced up at the clone trooper beside her, noticing the way he watched her, almost as if he expected her to make a break for her friend. Kadira hunched her shoulders, her face losing all expression as she turned away from Laniff. The trooper sighed and stepped forward, taking her arm and guiding her down the hall to her cell.

* * *

Jett watched Kadira's face as he closed her inside her cell, wondering what was going through the Mandalorian's head. She seemed upset after seeing her friend, and yet she simply began to pace her cell calmly as she had been doing for the past few days. He recognized it as a manifestation of her military training, a demand that she keep herself in shape even though escape seemed incredibly unlikely. He knew he would be doing the exact same thing in her position. And yet, something about her had changed. Anyone else might overlook it, but Jett had been waiting for just such a change. She seemed more energetic, less hopeless and definitely more determined.

She glanced up at him suddenly, spreading her hands questioningly as she noticed the clone studying her. She lifted both brows sharply, demanding an explanation.

Jett merely smiled beneath his helmet, feeling certain something had changed. He turned away from the cell, headed towards the barracks he was stationed in. He had his own preparations to make.

* * *

_A/N: Thoughts, anyone? Reviews would definitely make my day :)_


	2. Chapter 2

Kadira knelt beside the durasteel wall of her cell, pressing her ear against the cold metal. Night had fallen over the prison, leaving the much smaller night shift to patrol the halls. During the day there was a guard posted outside her door, but at night the precaution was lifted. For some reason they seemed to think darkness alone would deter her from another escape attempt. They obviously hadn't held many Mandalorians here.

Kadira smiled grimly as she heard the footsteps of a patrol approach, then fade as the troopers turned a corner. If the Imperials were smart, they would have altered the pattern of patrols, making them less predictable. Fortunately for her, imagination and creativity seemed to be low on the Empire's list of recruiting qualities. So far she had been able to guess the troopers' rounds within a few seconds, allowing her to work with more confidence and speed.

Kadira pressed her hand against the wall, moving her palm slowly across the cool surface of the durasteel, smiling as she found what she was looking for. A small vibration carried through the metal along with a faint warmth, alerting her to a power cell inside the wall. Imperial predictability worked in her favor here as well, since she was well aware of the fact that the power cell would be the door controls. If she could just reach the wires that controlled the panel, she would be able to open the door with little trouble.

"Don't let me down, _Lan'ika_," Kadira murmured, sliding the small object Laniff had given her from her sleeve. She handled the thin piece of metal carefully, wary of the sharp edge on one side. She shifted slightly, sliding the metal forward into the wall. The small strip of metal met a small amount of a resistance before punching through, causing a wide grin to flash across Kadira's face. "I owe you, _vod_."

Kadira continued to work through the metal, careful to stop any time she heard a patrol approaching. It would be just her luck lately for one of the troopers to hear something and come investigate. If they found Laniff's gadget and the half revealed wires of the door controls she's be back at square one. Or dead. Neither one really appealed to her.

Kadira continued to slice through the metal cautiously, hissing slightly in pain as the tool slipped and bit into her finger. She knew Laniff would probably lecture her about it later, since the tool could easily take her finger off. Muttering different curses under her breath she continued working, carefully pulling the wires free at last. Now came the interesting part. Kadira flipped the tool around so the sharp side was facing her, revealing a bunch of small notches filed into the metal of the tool. Kadira began to gently separate the wires from each other, using Laniff's tool to strip the protective covering off the wires. She was careful to work slowly, ignoring the blood that occasionally smeared across the wire from her injured finger. If she wasn't careful, she was likely to cut the wrong wire. If that happened she knew she'd end up trapped in the room when an alarm was tripped and her cell was placed in lockdown. That or she'd seal herself inside permanently instead of opening the door. Kadira bit down on her lip at the thought, working with even more caution. The last thing she wanted was to get herself killed so close to freedom.

* * *

The guardroom still echoed faintly with the sound of blaster fire as Jett spun his pistol before replacing it at his hip, calmly stepping over the bodies of two guards. The carbon scoring on the walls bore testament to the short but intense firefight that had just taken place, but Jett seemed unperturbed as he hauled another limp guard from one of the control chairs, letting the man's body slump to the floor.

"Thanks for the seat, _vod_," he muttered, beginning to type commands into the system. He was unconcerned about being found here. For one thing, he was still in full trooper armor. If someone came to investigate, which was completely unlikely, he could always claim he had been checking the disturbance and making sure no one had compromised the security system. With a little fancy talking, he could avoid the question of why the prison's highest level of intel was on the screen in front of him—something a grunt like him shouldn't have access to. Thankfully that wouldn't be a problem. He had chosen the spot for his attack carefully. This particular guard room was in an out of the way sector of the prison with low level guards. They had been armed, so he didn't have to worry about having a slaughter on his conscience. Besides, it was hardly his fault they hadn't been highly trained. Jett's own personal mission was too important for him to worry about the consequences now, especially since he was up to his neck in it. Jett scanned the screens, taking his time as he continuously typed in commands. This area wouldn't be patrolled until morning. Granted, that was because it didn't normally have any high level access but if he remembered his computer skills correctly—

"Gotcha," Jett muttered, smiling grimly as the screen flickered and reset to show all the prison's security functions. "Looks like we're in business. Get ready, Sal. I'm about to give you an opening a blind bantha couldn't miss." He tapped one key and alarms began blaring as cell doors opened wide, releasing all the prisoners in one angry wave.

* * *

Kadira looked up as her cell door slid open smoothly, leaving her still holding the mess of wires in her lap in disbelief.

"You've gotta be joking," she muttered, glancing down. She spent two hours working on this mess and right as she was about to touch the last two wires together, the karking door slid open on its own. It figured.

Kadira rose to her feet and warily poked her head outside the door, ignoring the mass of prisoners who rushed out of their cells without a thought as to _why_ all the doors had suddenly opened. Kadira glanced up at the ceiling, noting the automated turrets were still offline. That was good, at least. The way her luck had been running she had almost expected them to be live. Just as she finished the thought the turret's light switched from green to red and the twin blaster barrels began to move, taking aim at the group of prisoners swarming through the halls.

"_Shab_," Kadira muttered before darting forward into the crowd, tucking Laniff's tool back into her sleeve. If she could find a way to get the turrets offline before they wiped out the whole prison she might have a chance of getting out of here in one piece.

The heavy sound of boots striking the floor alerted her to the stormtroopers just before they burst around the corner, allowing Kadira a moment to step forward and snatch the barrel of one of the rifles. She jerked it upward and slammed her knee into the stormtrooper's stomach, causing him to let go of the rifle as she twisted it out of his hands. The prisoners swarmed over the guards, some falling as the white armored troopers opened fire. Kadira spun in the other direction, trusting the other prisoners to distract the guards long enough for her to bring the rifle to her shoulder and fire repeatedly at the turrets that were already raining blaster bolts on the swarm of prisoners. The first turret went out in a shower of sparks as Kadira adjusted her aim, glancing down at the magazine of the rifle. Only a few shots left. She took a slow breath and let it out, squeezing her finger on the trigger.

One of the other prisoners slammed into her shoulder, throwing off her aim and sending the bolt wild. Kadira cursed and slammed her elbow backward, clearing a space and ignoring the multiple curses thrown in her direction. The turret began to rotate slowly in her direction, but she was still being jostled by the other prisoners, preventing her from getting a solid shot.

"Out of the way, _di'kut_!" It was Laniff's voice, accompanied by a swinging fist that knocked the prisoners away from Kadira. "No, go the other way. Stupid _aruetii_… Get moving, _Kad'ika_. I really don't like the idea of getting taken down by a turret." He was shouting over the noise as he placed his back against hers to fend off anyone that got too close.

"It's about time you got here," Kadira retorted, nestling the rifle into her shoulder and taking two slow breaths and letting them out. As she released the last breath she held perfectly still, squeezing the trigger smoothly. The rifle bucked ever so slightly in her hand as the second turret exploded in flame and smoke, crashing to the floor where it was swiftly trampled by the rioting prisoners. Kadira tossed the spent rifle magazine to the floor, looking to Laniff who was gazing down the hall. The sound of more stormtroopers arriving made him grimace as he glanced to Kadira.

"_Ba'slan shev'la?" _he asked, tilting one brow up.

"Strategic disappearance," Kadira agreed grimly, nodding once. "Let's get moving."

* * *

Jett stepped out of the guardroom, ducking as a stray blaster round impacted into the wall just beside his head. He muttered a curse, drawing his pistol from its holster and shoving his way through the teeming crowd, ignoring the raging prisoners. He caught sight of Kadira and Laniff just as they skidded around the corner, coming face to face with a group of stormtroopers. Jett raised both pistols and fired quickly, felling the troopers before they had a chance to even lift their rifles. Kadira spun to face him, dropping into a crouch warily. Though what she hoped to accomplish by that, he had no idea. If he wanted to shoot her, he would have done it. He held up his pistol, raising both hands so as to appear nonthreatening.

"Just helping you out, _vod_," Jett explained, smiling as he saw her eyes widen in recognition. "Now can we get moving, or would you like to sit around and trade life stories?"

Laniff muttered something under his breath that Jett didn't quite catch before nodding finally.

"Fine. But you better have a good explanation when we get out of here," Laniff grumbled, motioning Jett to take the lead. "And if you get us blown up, I'll kill you."

"If I wanted to blow you up, I'd make sure you were dead," Jett informed him, ducking through the doorway in the lead.

"Then I'd come back from the dead and haunt you," Laniff retorted, following Jett.

Kadira rolled her eyes and went last, wondering how Laniff managed to make enemies almost everywhere he went.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry for the delay in chapters! I'll try to keep updating at least once a week :) As always, reviews make my day!_


	3. Chapter 3

Kadira leaned around the corner of the hall, scanning quickly for guards or prisoners before motioning Jett and Laniff forward.

"Looks like we're clear," she informed them, stepping into the hall and waiting for Jett to clear their six before he moved to join her. The clone had insisted on being the rearguard, seeing as he was the only one with a weapon in-hand.

Kadira could still hear the sounds of the rioting prisoners in the background as the three made their way down the branching halls of the prison. Thankfully the noise seemed to be moving away from them for now, though Kadira wasn't optimistic about how long that might last.

The three stopped as they came face to face with a dead end, leaving both Mandalorians to look to Jett questioningly.

"How're we getting through here, soldier boy?" Laniff asked, rapping his knuckles against the duracrete wall pointedly.

"Step aside, bucket-head," Jett shot back, stepping forward and withdrawing a thermal detonator from his belt.

Kadira let out a low whistle, her eyebrows raised. "Nice ordnance," she said, glancing to Laniff questioningly as he brushed past her irritably. Laniff shook his head sharply, letting her know he wasn't sure exactly what was bothering him but that something felt off.

"I'm not a bucket head when I don't have my armor," Laniff muttered, stopping a step behind Kadira and crossing his arms over his chest. "And I hate to break this to you, but that wall doesn't go to the outside."

"You're right," Jett replied, slapping the detonator into place and stepping back. His finger hovered over the trigger and he grinned at Laniff. "It leads to the armory."

Laniff lunged forward, trying to snatch the detonator from Jett but the clone had already set it off. The heavy duracrete shattered with the force of the explosion, sending all three of them stumbling backwards as they struggled to breathe through the dust and debris. Kadira coughed violently, shaking chips of duracrete from her clothing and trying to ignore the tiny scratches they had left across her hands and neck.

"You stupid _chakaar_!" Laniff snarled, catching Jett by the shoulders and slamming him against the wall. "Do you know what would have happened if there had been explosives stacked against that wall? We would have been blown to _haran_ and this whole karking prison with us. Then what would have come of your clever plan?"

"Laniff, let him go," Kadira coughed, brushing the duracrete dust off her shoulders. "It was stupid, but we're still alive. We still have to get out of this place and we're going to need his help."

Laniff released Jett grudgingly and the clone shouldered past him roughly.

"I knew what I was doing," Jett growled, glaring at Laniff and dusting his shoulders off pointedly. "Explosive ordnance is stacked against the far wall, well out of reach of a thermal det. Besides," he grinned, "I thought you would want your armor back."

* * *

Kadira sighed in relief as her HUD blinked to life inside her T-visored helmet. She blinked and the HUD responded, zooming in on first Jett and then Laniff as Kadira continued to test each feature to be sure all were working. The readout displayed information about the weapons stored within the armory, most of which had been confiscated from the prisoners held here. A small cylinder caught her eye and she frowned, picking it up and tucking it into her belt discreetly. She saw Laniff hesitate slightly, obviously noticing the movement before he continued strapping on his own armor nonchalantly.

"You Mandalorians really like your gear, don't you?" Jett asked, sweeping the hallway for hostiles before glancing back at Laniff and Kadira.

"You just don't know what you're missing out on," Kadira observed wryly, the vocoder implanted in her helmet lending her voice a slightly mechanized tone. Granted, it leveled out the rasping quality her words normally carried and allowed her to speak well above a whisper, but Jett still found the sound more than a little menacing. He could see why Mandalorians made such good mercenaries. Between their expressionless helmets, their impressive array of weaponry and the way their helmets made them sound he would bet most beings would think twice before getting in a Mando's way.

Kadira glanced up from attaching a flame launcher to one of her gauntlets, tipping her helmeted head at Jett inquisitively.

"You look like you're dying to ask something," she observed wryly.

Jett smiled slightly, glancing back out into the hallway. "Yeah… Is it true what they say? That you Mandos train practically from birth in hand-to-hand combat, weapons, everything?"

Kadira chuckled softly. "Only sometimes. Laniff here was a native-born Mando, so he did."

"And you?"

Kadira snapped the last hose into place on her gauntlet, looking up at him. "My hand-to-hand is awful," she admitted, grinning beneath her helmet's faceplate. "Toss a weapon in, make it about disarming and I'm in the clear. Otherwise you might as well forget it."

"You weren't born on Mandalore?" Jett asked, turning back to the entrance watchfully.

"Nope. Corellia," Kadira responded, poking through the rifles to try to find her DC-17m. It was a rifle used in the Clone Wars by commando troopers, and was now highly illegal. She didn't want to have to go through the headache of finding another one on the black market.

"That explains a lot," Jett muttered, earning an unexpected laugh from Laniff.

"Corellians _are_ known for being a bit reckless," he concurred, grinning at Kadira impishly.

Kadira just rolled her eyes and snatched the rifle she was looking for, checking it over to make sure it hadn't sustained any damage. The rifle was low on ammunition, but that was no surprise. She still had a couple anti-armor rounds, her personal favorite, as well as three full clips of sniper and regular ammunition. She'd just have to choose her shots carefully.

"If you two are done making friends, can we get moving?" she asked, tilting her head at them and sliding her scout pistol into the holster at her waist. Her other pistol was nowhere to be found. "I'd hate for Jett's rescue to be for nothing."

"How do you plan to bust us out?" Jett asked. "My plan only went so far as getting you two out of your cells and back into your armor. I don't have a way to get us through the gates."

"Who needs a gate?" Laniff asked wryly. "We'll make an exit. Watch and learn, soldier boy."

* * *

"What do you mean there's an ongoing prison riot?" Alaida slammed her hand down on the metal table, glaring down at the officer seated across from her. "I was assured this prison was secure. I just placed two _Mandalorians_ in that place, and you assured me nothing could go wrong. If I had known that in a manner of days the entire prison would be in chaos, I would not have placed them inside. Do you have any idea what kind of damage they are capable of?" She took a low breath, collecting herself before looking back to the officer. When she spoke again, her voice was dangerously calm. "How did this happen?"

"We're not sure, exactly," the officer explained, fidgeting with his collar uncomfortably and glancing across at the gold armored woman leaning against the wall. "We have intelligence officers working on it now, trying to see what happened that all the prisoners were released at the same time. We've lost contact with our troops inside, so we have no eyes in…" he trailed off as Alaida closed her eyes, obviously struggling for patience.

"Find out what happened," the voice came from the gold armored woman, sounding menacing thanks to the tiny speakers embedded in her helmet. The officer swallowed hard, knowing the rumors surrounding this woman, Coorta Mashiri. Her expressionless visor was fixed on him, making him shift nervously. "As soon as you know, you find us and inform us. And make sure Sal and Dreysel are still captives. If they are not, then make sure I have a ship and plenty of weapons stored on it. I will find them and I will hunt them down."

"We need them," Alaida reminded her. "Scorlo is sure to come after them."

Coorta lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "They'll be alive, but that's all I'll promise. I've had enough of chasing them across the galaxy and back." She stroked the vibroblade at her waist pointedly, and Alaida inclined her head slightly in affirmation.

"Just make sure they're alive, at least until Scorlo makes his move. After that, they're yours to do with as you please."

* * *

Ran moved through the spaceport quietly, careful to blend into the crowd of spacers. Plenty of stormtroopers were stationed throughout the building and even beside each ship's landing space. Ran was grateful for the dingy rust bucket he had managed to borrow from an old friend. It was a small ship, too old to be noticeable but new enough that it wouldn't draw unwanted attention. No bells and whistles, no speed, and only marginal weapons. Kadira would have hated it.

Ran smiled grimly at the thought of his pilot, long past the point of second guessing his decision to come after her and Laniff. It was exactly what the Empire expected, and exactly what Laniff had sworn he would never do. And yet here he was, following a lead that said Kadira and Laniff were being held in the Imperial prison on this planet. He had grown even more certain upon landing and finding that there was an ongoing prison riot that no one seemed able to explain. Apparently it was a high security prison, and yet somehow all the prisoners were loose and the stormtroopers were hard pressed to keep the prison from being overrun. The Imperials were even refusing to send in reinforcements for fear of the prisoners storming the gates as soon as they were opened. It sounded exactly like something Kadira and Laniff would engineer, and he felt himself starting to believe that he had made the right decision to come after them. After all, they'd need a ship until they were able to get the _Vanguard_ back from the Empire. Kadira would just have to put up with a rust bucket until then.

"_Oya_, my friends," he murmured. "Keep yourselves alive a little while longer, I'm coming."

* * *

_A/N: Hope you're enjoying this so far :) Sorry for the delay in chapters, I'll try to keep them coming as fast as I can :) Review please? They really do make my day :D_


	4. Chapter 4

Kadira poked her head out of the massive hole in the prison's outer wall, tilting her helmeted head in Laniff's direction. Her HUD's display managed to pierce the smoke and debris, giving her a clear image of Laniff as he landed outside the prison.

"Think you used enough?" she asked sarcastically, earning a shrug from her red and gold armored friend.

"No such thing as too much explosive, _Kad'ika_," he said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back casually against a nearby tree.

"You know, I have to agree with the man," Jett chipped in, ducking through the hole. He landed on the ground a few feet below, turning to look back at Kadira. "You coming _Kad'ika_?"

Kadira sighed and clambered through the hole, using Jett's shoulder to catch her balance as she landed. Laniff took a step forward in concern, but Kadira waved him off dismissively with one armored hand.

"Just paying for three escape attempts, nothing major _vod_. Let's try to get as far from here as we can before dawn. The Imps will have the prison under control fairly soon, and then they'll know we're absent," she said, swinging her rifle over her shoulder. "And Jett? Don't call me _Kad'ika_. Only a few people in the galaxy get to call me that. He just happens to be one of them," she said, nodding to Laniff.

Jett tilted his head in acknowledgement. "Fair enough. Can I ask why?"

"It's Mandalorian. It uses the first three letters of her name, followed by '_ika_'. It's usually only used by close friends or family," Laniff explained, checking his pistol once more. "I would have thought you clones would know that. You were trained by Mandalorians, after all."

"Clones don't have family," Jett replied, brushing past Laniff abruptly. "Not the way you Mandos do. All we have is each other."

Laniff tilted his head at Kadira questioningly, but received only a confused shrug in reply. Laniff tipped his helmeted head backward and sighed.

"Why do you always pick grouchy people to rescue?" he asked.

Kadira laughed slightly, starting after Jett. "He rescued us, _di'kut_," she reminded him. "And besides, Ran always chose the people to rescue. I just followed directions… More or less."

"You never follow directions, _Kad'ika_," he teased dryly. "You're too stubborn to take orders unless they come directly from _te Mand'alor_. Either way, with Jett's attitude I'm starting to miss Ran. Which I thought was impossible, by the way."

"I'd give anything to have Ran as our eyes in the sky right now," Kadira agreed grimly. "I don't like walking around with no intel."

"Not to mention having to rely on your grumpy guard-turned-rescuer," Laniff observed.

"Exactly."

* * *

Ran rubbed one hand across his forehead tiredly, getting up to pace the small room he had rented hours before. He was certain by now that Kadira and Laniff were no longer in the prison. Every piece of intel he had found so far seemed to point towards their escape. The fact that most of the holorecordings had been wiped only strengthened his suspicion.

"You two just can't stay put and wait to be rescued, can you? No matter how much simpler it would make my life, you just have to keep moving around," he muttered, glancing back at the datapad on the desk. Kadira and Laniff could be anywhere now, and he currently had no idea where to start looking for them. "Think, Ran. Where would they go, where would they feel most at home?"

He stopped pacing suddenly, turning to look out the grimy window of the room. The looming mountains in the distance caught his attention and a slow smile spread over his face. Both Kadira and Laniff lived in the wilder regions of their home planet of Mandalore. The thick forest offered plenty of cover and allowed them to cover their tracks or circle back easier than open landscape would. Ran had no doubt both of them would automatically head for the cover of this planet's forest as well.

"Now if you two will only stay put until I can get to you," he said, still smiling.

* * *

"We'll have to find a way to get the _Vanguard_ back," Kadira mused, trudging through the forest alongside Laniff. The forest was growing thicker as the land sloped upward, leaving the two Mandalorians to fall behind their clone guide.

Jett was already far ahead of them, scouting the trail while Laniff and Kadira moved more slowly due to injuries and exhaustion. Both were relying on their HUDs to scan for life forms behind them, though they had been lucky enough so far to avoid any troops. It would seem the prison riot was still occupying the guards' time, at least for now.

"Coorta and Alaida will be expecting it," Laniff pointed out. "They know you'll come for the _Vanguard_, and so they'll be waiting for you."

"That ship was karking expensive," Kadira reminded him. "You know how many hunting jobs I had to work in order to afford it. Custom ships don't come cheaply."

"Especially when it's based off of a model dating from the Mandalorian Wars, which would require plenty of creativity and credits to get the blasted thing running," Laniff concurred wryly, earning a halfhearted shove from his friend. He smiled beneath his faceplate and shoved her back gently. "Don't worry. We'll get your ship back, _Kad'ika_," he promised.

The two slowed as their helmets began to pick up audio close by. Both stopped in their tracks as they recognized Jett's accented voice, apparently speaking over the comm unit in his helmet.

_::Make sure of it,::_ Jett's voice crackled slightly as he spoke. _::We're in this up to our necks, the last thing we need is false intel. We don't want another agent on our tail. We'll have enough people to dodge once things start moving. Get back to me when you know.::_

Jett started off into the forest once more, soon passing out of audio range.

"When things start moving?" Kadira murmured, looking to Laniff. She recognized the same unease in his posture that she felt.

::_I'm going to slip away tonight,_ Kad'ika. _Something isn't right here,:: _Laniff's voice came through her helmet's comm, causing her to frown in concern. If he was worried enough to avoid any chance of Jett overhearing him then he was _really_ uneasy. _::Ran may have tracked us here. If he has, I want him in this. Something about Jett… I don't know. It's just not right.::_

"I think you're right," she murmured, following his example and speaking only through the comm channel in her helmet. "I'd feel better if Ran were here. I don't like where things are going. There are too many questions and not enough answers."

Laniff nodded in agreement, nudging her with his shoulder after a moment of silence. "Did you realize Ran has once again managed to avoid the heavy lifting? I mean, the Empire goes after him and yet somehow we're the ones who get caught and beaten to a pulp."

Kadira laughed slightly, knowing he was trying to lighten the mood. "Just like on Dxun. He comes up with the plan, and somehow I'm the one who gets gnawed on by a Drexl."

"Though his base did get blown up on Belsavis…" Laniff mused.

"Yeah, and I'm the one who got stung by nasty bugs and shot in the back by a Senator," Kadira pointed out, tilting her helmeted head up at him.

Laniff chuckled. "I was wondering where that dent in your armor came from," he said wryly, earning a lighthearted shove from Kadira.

"Thanks for the sympathy, _vod_."

"That's what I'm here for," Laniff responded. He glanced sideways at his friend, noticing the tenseness of her body as they walked. She was as worried as he was. He sighed slightly. He'd feel much better once Ran was back.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry this one has taken me so long to do. Things have been pretty insane with school and life in general :) As always, please review! Reviews are one of the things that get me plotting, and often I'll add in story twists based off of a review someone leaves :)_


	5. Chapter 5

Kadira glanced up as Jett paced anxiously, his white armor standing out against the dark backdrop of the forest. She winced inwardly as he slammed his fist into one of the trees for the third time. He had been furious ever since discovering Laniff was gone, leaving Kadira to hedge his questions and pretend ignorance. In truth she was hoping Laniff had made it to the city by now and was close to finding Ran. She was getting more and more uneasy as time passed. Jett had moved ahead three more times since Laniff had left, Kadira assumed to answer more calls on his comm. So far she had been unable to get close enough to hear what he said, but she was worried.

"Where is that karking idiot?" Jett snarled, yanking his helmet off his head and casting it aside to run his fingers through his hair angrily.

"Laniff wanders off," Kadira said with a shrug, going back to poking at the small fire with a stick. The forest had fallen into darkness hours ago, giving Laniff the chance he needed to slip off into the shadows. "He'll be back when he's ready to be back. He's probably scouting around for information."

"Or dead," Jett snapped in reply, glaring across the fire into the black faceplate of Kadira's helmet. "We're safer in a group, not wondering off on our own. If the Imps catch him and he talks, they'll know exactly where we are and where we're going."

Kadira froze, looking up at him slowly. The firelight reflected off her expressionless visor as Jett fell silent, seeming to recognize he'd made a mistake.

"Watch yourself, Jett. You're talking about my _vod_, one of the closest friends I have in the entire galaxy. He's saved my life more than once, and I trust him without question. If you want to go stomping off into the forest to track him down, please feel free. But remember he's been a bounty hunter since long before you stepped into your soldier's garb. He's dodged more Imperial patrols than I can count, and he's survived worse situations than this. So either go after him, or sit down and quit criticizing my _vod_," her voice was low and filled with a deadly calm as she began to poke at the fire again with slow, controlled motions.

Jett stared at her for a few moments, uncertain of whether he should be chastised or simply more annoyed.

"…You two are close," he ventured at last, coming to sit beside the fire cautiously and eyeing her as if she might lash out at him at any moment.

"He's the one who made me decide to become a Mando. He saved my life the first time I met him and wouldn't leave me alone after that," she smiled wryly beneath her helmet, shaking her head. "He was like a kath hound pup. He'd follow me wherever I went no matter how angry I got at him. Guess he knew I wasn't really in any shape to look out for myself then."

"What happened? I mean, you have Corellian Bloodstripes on your pant legs. Those don't exactly shout 'Incompetent'."

Kadira shrugged, drawing her scout pistol and beginning to take it apart to clean it. "I had a rough run," she said simply. "It was after I left the Empire, so I was pretty messed up at the time. It tends to happen when a cause you believed in falls to pieces in front of your eyes. It's worse when it's the second time it's happened."

"You were in the Empire?" Jett asked, lifting one dark brow.

"I was a freelance scout for a time. I explored worlds, hyperspace routes, cities. If the Empire needed information about somewhere, that's where I went. But a mission went south and no one did anything to stop it. People died that shouldn't have, and the Empire wrote it off and forgot about it. The officers who cost people their lives were given a pat on the back for a successful mission while the collateral damage was swept under the rug. I started looking around and figured out that the Empire wasn't all it was cracked up to be. The honor and peace that the Empire had supposedly brought to the galaxy were just myths pitched on the Holonet. People were sick of war and willing to see the Empire as a savior. They were willing to ignore all the horrors the Empire had committed. So I left and I didn't look back."

"And what was your first cause?" Jett inquired, studying her as if he could see past her helmet's blank visor.

Kadira laughed softly, tilting her head at him. "Sorry, soldier boy. But I don't know you well enough for you to get my whole life story just yet."

Jett studied her for a moment and then shrugged, leaning backwards casually. "Alright. How about the scarred armor? I'd think you could afford to at least repaint it."

Kadira laughed, looking back to the now dismantled pistol in her lap. "You really don't know much about Mandos, do you? We consider it a mark of honor. It shows you've taken whatever nasty twists the galaxy has managed to throw at you and come out of them alive. It shows your history and your mettle," she glanced up at Jett's face, taking in his skeptical expression. "Don't look at me like that. If you had the option, would you get rid of the scars you carry or would you keep them?"

"I'd keep them. But that's different, mine are on my skin not my armor," Jett replied.

"The Mandalorian word for armor is _beskar'gam_. Literally translated it means 'Iron skin'," she tilted her head at him pointedly. "Kinda shows how important our armor is to us. We're a warrior culture, Jett. Not only does our armor protect us, but it often defines us. People all over the galaxy see a T-visored helmet and immediately the word 'Mandalorian' comes to mind. We choose our own colors and styles, and yet our armor also ties us together. It's part of us personally, as well as culturally. Look around Mandalore and you'll see hundreds of different Mandos. Each of them has unique armor, and yet every single one of them is recognizable as being _Mando'ade_. If we're on a hostile planet and we see another person in Mandalorian armor we know we've found a brother or sister, an ally. Someone who will have our backs no matter how bad things get. I've had Mandos at my back in a firefight that I hadn't met until two minutes before the fighting broke out, but I trusted them to do their best to keep us all from getting killed. To this day I could point them out to you based only on their armor… In a way it's like you clones. You'd die for each other. You all have the same face, the same DNA. And yet you're all individual, with your own stories and your own personalities."

Jett snorted softly. "Some people would say otherwise. They see all us clones as identical, barely better than droids."

"Then they're karking _di'kuts_," Kadira said simply, reassembling her pistol with ease. "I've never seen a droid with the amount of courage I've witnessed in the clones Kal Skirata adopted. Those men are true Mandos without a doubt. Anyone who says otherwise usually ends up with a few broken bones and a whole new outlook on the matter."

Jett chuckled slightly. "Now them I'd like to meet."

"Stick around, soldier boy. You just might get the chance," Kadira replied, snapping the pistol's clip into place. She didn't notice the strange expression that crossed Jett's face at the words. A mixture of longing, regret and another emotion that might have been anger. As it was, she glanced up only to see him staring into the fire, apparently lost in thought.

* * *

Coorta let out a slow breath, squeezing the trigger of her rifle slowly and smoothly. The shot went off with a bang, causing the rifle to buck ever so slightly in her hands.

"Nice shot," the voice belonged to Alaida, but Coorta didn't bother turning around.

"The sights are off to the left," she said in response, setting the rifle down and beginning to fiddle with the scope's settings. "You didn't come here to compliment my aim, Dain," she observed, gesturing to the practice room. "What do you want?"

Alaida watched as Coorta raised the rifle back to her shoulder, taking careful aim before squeezing the trigger once more.

"I came to tell you that intel has finally come in. Laniff and Kadira are missing. The guards are still sorting through the dead, so it's possible they didn't escape," Alaida said as the echoes of the shot faded. She leaned back against the wall, watching Coorta to see if the woman reached the same conclusion she had.

"They're not dead," Coorta said, glancing over at Alaida. "But you already guessed that. They're too good and too lucky to get shot down in a prison riot. Especially one they probably started. Besides, they're Mandos. It'd take more than your clumsy stormtroopers to kill them, especially when they've had weeks to plan."

"I'm not certain this was their plan," Alaida informed the gold armored woman, lifting one slim brow. "A clone trooper is also missing."

"You sure _he's_ not among the dead?" Coorta asked dryly, adjusting her scope's settings once more and lifting the rifle back to her shoulder.

"He's not, it's been confirmed. But that's not even the interesting part… it looks like our missing clone has ties to Kadira. Ties she doesn't know about."

Coorta lowered her rifle, looking over to Dain with interest. "Now this I want to hear."

* * *

Laniff made his way through the streets of the city quickly, his armor bundled into the bag he carried on his back. Normally he would have opted to stay in his armor, but it would be much easier to hide his face from the troops than it would be to blend into the crowd wearing bright red _beskar'gam_.

Laniff sighed in frustration, grumbling under his breath. Dawn was already breaking over the city skyline, and he had only a few clues left as to where Ran would be.

"I appreciate your skill for secrecy, _aruetii_," he muttered, starting towards one of the last building complexes he thought might house Ran. "But when a friend can't even find you it makes life so much harder."

He pounded on the door to the building, wincing when the old wood flexed under his fist. This place was a dump, that much was for sure.

"Hey _aruetii_, open up or I'll break down your flimsy door!" he called, pounding again. He was met by a string of vile curses in some alien language, delivered in a high pitched voice that was definitely not Ran's. "All right, all right," he muttered, backing away from the door. "No need to get nasty."

"You weren't exactly polite yourself."

Laniff spun towards the voice, pistol already drawn. Ran chuckled and stepped out of the shadows, smiling as Laniff scowled and put away his pistol.

"You're a hard guy to find, Scorlo."

"One of the few reasons I'm still alive," Ran replied. "I've been looking for you all over this karking planet. But someone started a prison riot and made things that much harder."

Laniff frowned and gestured to the street. "Let's find somewhere less open to talk. I don't think you're going to like what I have to tell you."

Ran frowned, but nodded. He raised a ratty hood over his head and led Laniff through the winding streets of the city, skillfully dodging any checkpoints the stormtroopers had set up. Laniff followed, impressed by Ran's skill at blending in without even seeming to try. The man was a natural, that much was clear. Ran led the way to an even more run down looking building, typing in a code to the outdated security system on the door. Laniff ducked inside the small hovel, making a face as he took in the interior.

"I've been laying low," Ran explained, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed. "Now where's Kadira? She better not have gotten herself shot."

"She's fine. Or was, last I saw her," Laniff ran a hand through his hair before looking down at one of the rickety chairs dubiously, lifting one brow at Ran.

"It'll hold your weight. Just don't make any sudden movements," Ran said with the ghost of a smile. "Now tell me what happened."

Ran listened intently as Laniff told the story, occasionally interrupting to ask for more detail. He was frowning by the time Laniff reached the part about Jett being the one to start the riot and guide the two Mandalorians back to their armor and most of their weapons.

"A clone trooper? Did you happen to catch his designation?" Ran asked, sounding perturbed.

"No. All he said was to call him Jett. Even Kadira didn't know his number, though apparently he guarded her for a while. Kadira said he was never cruel like some of the other guards, but he wasn't friendly either. Apparently the two argued constantly."

"That woman could argue with a durasteel wall," Ran muttered, earning a smile from Laniff.

"She could. But she also said Jett almost seemed to be testing her. He never did give her his designation number though, and she never overhead it from any of the other guards," Laniff said with a shrug. "So we're in the dark on that count."

Ran nodded and gestured for Laniff to continue, looking concerned. When Laniff finished, Ran sat in silence, tapping his steepled fingers against his chin in thought.

"He could be anyone," he said finally, frowning. "But I don't like this. Too many pieces don't fit into place. How did he start the riot? Even the most remote stations still have guards, and they wouldn't have just handed over security to a trooper. Not to mention the fact that this all seems planned out. He knew the armory, where the ordnance was, where your armor was being stored. None of those things are common knowledge. Why this Jett would orchestrate an escape attempt to extract you when he doesn't even know you…" he shook his head, frowning. "I just don't know. Add the conversation you overheard, and I'm willing to bet that he has some sort of ulterior motive. What I don't know is what that motive is. You said Kadira stayed with him?"

Laniff nodded. "We thought it would be best not to tip our hand just yet. If Jett still thinks he has the drop on us we didn't want him to find out otherwise."

"And where does Jett think _you_ are?" Ran asked, lifting one brow at Laniff.

Laniff smiled and shrugged again. "He thinks I'm off exploring or doing something stupid, probably. We didn't exactly hit it off. Kadira wanted to be the one to come after you, but we decided it would be best if she stayed and kept Jett off of my trail as long as she could."

Ran nodded slowly in agreement. "I just hope she's careful. I have a feeling there's more to this Jett character than meets the eye. And I don't think it's something we'll like."

Laniff tilted his head in acknowledgement. "Can't argue with you there, _vod._"

Ran lifted both brows at Laniff. "_Vod_? I thought that was only used for family."

Laniff shrugged. "Depends on the context. It can also mean 'friend', and it doesn't have to be applied to a Mando... But I still think _Kaysh-"_

"_Mirsh solus_," Ran interrupted, holding up one hand. "Meaning my brain cell is lonely. I think I've got that one down."

Laniff chuckled and leaned back in his chair, slowly so as not to upset his balance. "So, city boy. What's _our_ plan?"

* * *

_A/N: So this one seemed to flow a bit easier/faster. There should be some action coming up in the next little while, so things will start moving faster :) As always, reviews make me smile like an idiot, honest :D_


	6. Chapter 6

Coorta Mashiri swung her heavy rifle over her armored shoulder, checking to be sure her vibroblade was strapped to her waist. She had been preparing for this op for two hours, and now wanted nothing more than to get started on the hunt. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins at the thought of tracking down Kadira and Laniff once more. This time would be different. This time she wouldn't make the mistake of trying to take them alive in order to collect a bounty. It wasn't about the credits anymore, or even fully about them being Mandalorians and therefore the sworn enemies of Death Watch. No, it was personal now. Not to mention so much more interesting.

"Do you have all the intel?" Alaida asked from the other side of the room, checking over a heavily modified pistol. The woman had been cleaning every weapon in reach, leaving Coorta to suspect Dain was just as eager as she was to close in on Scorlo and Sal.

"All I need," Coorta replied, waving her hand impatiently and going back to checking over her armor and weapons. "I'll track them down and get rid of the problem. Permanently this time. They won't even see me coming."

"Remember, I want Scorlo alive," Alaida said, glancing up at Coorta pointedly.

"Which is why I'm going after him first," Coorta responded, settling her gold helmet over her head and listening to her suit seal with a low hiss. "Once you have him, I'll hunt down Kadira and Laniff. I have a score to settle, and the less of their kind in the galaxy the better."

Alaida shrugged indifferently. "Go fight your little war, Mashiri. If you Death Watch members want to wipe out the Mandos, by all means go ahead. They've been a thorn in the Empire's side since day one. As an individual, so has Sal. Kill her and you can collect the bounty on her head, I don't care. Just get me Scorlo, and make sure he's alive. You're not the only one with a score to settle."

Coorta smiled beneath her helmet's visor, tilting her head to the side in acknowledgement. "You'll have Scorlo. I already have a good idea where to find him."

Alaida glanced up. "Sometimes I think your informant system is better than mine, Mashiri."

Coorta chuckled softly. "Oh I'd bet on it," she replied. She ran one hand over the etched symbol on the shoulder of her armor, smiling at the thought of another hunt. "_Oya_, Mandos," she murmured softly. "Welcome back to my game."

* * *

Kadira ducked under one of the forest's low hanging branches, holding it aside for Jett to pass through behind her. The clone had allowed her to take the lead, stating that he trusted her HUD's systems more than he trusted his own sight in the dark. The two had decided to keep moving through the night after taking a short rest. They would need all the distance they could get between them and the troops that would no doubt be sent after them. Kadira had assured Jett that Laniff would find them if he needed to. He was a skilled tracker and more at home in the woods than anyone she'd ever met. Jett had hesitated, then seemed to take the explanation at face value, agreeing to move on.

"So Jett, where have you been stationed?" Kadira asked, glancing back to look at him. The clone was breathing hard, apparently unused to the rough terrain. Working in the prisons apparently hadn't kept him in top condition.

"All over the place," he responded, breathing heavily. "Mostly backwater worlds, especially after the Empire's new batch of clones came out. I'm old news in their eyes. They don't much care about my kind any longer. We're mostly sent places where either nothing happens, or into some death trap."

Kadira winced. "Sorry to hear it. Why do you stay then? If you're stuck on backwater planets, why not just disappear? I doubt the Empire would spend too much time tracking down a soldier they're not interested in keeping. You could go somewhere, start a family, start a life."

Jett snorted, ducking under a low hanging branch. "I age twice as fast as any normal human," he pointed out. "What woman would want a man who would age at twice the rate she does? Who would die of old age before he got to see his kids grow up? No. Nobody in their right mind would consider settling down with a clone."

Kadira's step faltered before she continued on, falling silent for a few moments.

"Not everyone feels that way," she said finally, not turning back to face Jett. "Besides, the Mandos are working on a way to reverse that. You could have come to Mandalore. You would have been welcomed there, as family. We've adopted more than a few clones into our culture, why not you? What stopped you?"

Jett shook his head irritably. "I already told you. My _vod_ are clones, not Mandos. I've no interest in joining your kind."

"Why not?" Kadira asked, evoking a frustrated sigh from Jett.

"Woman, has anyone ever told you that you ask too many questions?" he snapped, glaring at her armored back.

"Yes. And I'll keep asking until you answer," Kadira responded easily, causing Jett's irritation to climb.

Jett muttered something under his breath darkly before answering abruptly. "You want to know why? Because you Mandos took sides against us. You fought with the Separatists in the Clone Wars, against my _vod_, those who you now claim to help. I watched as my brothers were gunned down by droids that represented my blood people. And now you claim to be our friends, family even. But you stood by and watched us slaughtered. I won't be part of a cowardly traitor's society."

He was unprepared for how quickly she reacted. One second she was walking ahead of him, and the next he was flat on his back with the butt of her rifle pressed sharply into his throat. Kadira pressed her booted foot down on his chest, pinning him firmly to the forest floor as he struggled in surprise. Jett found himself staring up into the expressionless visor of her helmet, her anger evident in her body language and her voice as she spoke.

"Don't you _ever_ talk about my _vod_ that way," she snarled, the vocoder imbedded in her helmet doing nothing to hide her rage. "You have no idea what's changed. Taking sides in the Clone Wars? That was before the Protectors came back, before we went back to being a warrior culture. Back then, we were pacifists. We were ruled by the New Mandalorians, people who wanted peace and condemned any that looked to the honorable ways of the past. Things are different now. We're led by _Mand'alor_ Shysa, a good and honorable man. We don't back down any longer. Now we fight, now we smuggle your kind out of Imperial bases. Do you have any karking idea how many Mandos have died helping you clones? How many more risked their necks for _your_ brothers? And you talk about _treachery_? Remember, _we're_ not the ones who turned on our commanders in the war. _We_ didn't shoot down the Jedi based on the order of one man. So shut your mouth and look in the karking mirror you _di'kutla shabuir_."

Kadira stared down at him angrily, breathing hard. She removed her rifle abruptly, leaving Jett to rub his throat wryly as she turned her back on him and stalked away, muttering under her breath furiously in Mandalorian. He had a feeling he should be grateful he couldn't catch the exact words.

"A little harsh, don't you think?" he mumbled, scrambling to his feet. "'Worthless jerk' is a little strong."

"Shut up, Jett," Kadira snapped, earning a low chuckle from him.

"You have a temper, woman," Jett said, raising his gauntlet and aiming carefully. "Strangely enough, that makes this even harder."

A small puff of air was Kadira's only warning before she felt a sharp pain in her neck. She stumbled, clapping one gloved hand to the unarmored portion of her neck, one of the few vulnerable spots in her armor.

"What the…" her hand scrambled for a moment before she yanked out a small dart, holding it up in front of her visor to catch a better view. She cursed her own stupidity as she recognized the dart as one that held a knockout drug. She hadn't expected Jett to move nearly this fast, and in her anger she had let her guard down. Her vision was beginning to swim and she stumbled, the vital scanners in her HUD confirming that her heart rate was dropping thanks to whatever drug Jett had dipped the small dart in.

Kadira looked up to her HUD's 360 vision as Jett lowered his gauntlet and stepped forward purposefully. He clasped her around the waist as if to catch her when she fell and Kadira slammed her elbow backwards sharply, taking small comfort in his grunt of pain as her _beskar_ encased elbow connected with the light armor around his stomach. Jett cursed softly and spun her around to face him, barely catching her wrist in time to stop a strike from the blade hidden between her wrist plates. He cursed again as she slammed the heel of her foot into the top of his arch, nearly causing him to release her.

"Quit fighting, you stubborn Mando," Jett growled, spinning her back around and pinning her against him with strong arms. He could already feel her struggles slowing as the drug took effect. "Believe me, _Kad'ika_, I wish it had been you to go after Ran instead of Laniff. It's nothing personal, just business."

"Don't…call me… _Kad'ika_," her mouth was no longer cooperating, causing her words to come out slow and slurred. "You _dikut'la_…" she trailed off, her body slumping before she could finish the insult.

Jett breathed a sigh of relief and dragged her to a nearby tree, propping her up against it. He released the small lever beneath her chin, removing her green and gold helmet gently and setting it aside carefully. He also removed all the weapons he could find, setting them far out of her reach. One could never be too cautious, especially with Mandos.

"Like I said, _Kad'ika_. Nothing personal," he muttered, activating his comm. He turned away from the unconscious Mandalorian. "Spike? It's done. I'll meet up with you with Kadira in tow. Make sure everything is ready on your end. I don't want to have to figure out a different way to keep her quiet, not after she wakes up. She's going to be hard enough to control as it is."

_::She's always been a pistol,::_ Spike replied, causing Jett to smile grimly. _::Everything will be ready. Get her back here before she wakes up, or you're going to be in deep trouble.::_

"Copy," Jett responded grimly. He cut the communication off, crouching down next to Kadira and studying her grimly. "Now let's just hope Scorlo sticks to his pattern and comes after you, _Kad'ika_. I'd hate for all this to be a waste."

* * *

Laniff propped his feet up on the apartment's rickety table, watching Ran pace around the dingy room.

"…Does pacing help?" he asked finally, lifting one blonde eyebrow curiously.

"No. But it helps me think I'm actually doing something," Ran replied distractedly, ignoring Laniff's pointed sigh. "If we try to track down Jett and ambush him, I have a feeling things won't go well," he mused quietly.

"You have a feeling?" Laniff asked, closing his eyes and crossing his hands behind his head. "What are you, a freaking Jedi?"

"Hardly," Ran replied coolly, stopping and closing his eyes. Something was bothering him about this whole situation. Something specific that he still couldn't quite put his finger on. "Did Jett have any scars, any markings that might identify him?"

"I hardly saw the man's face, _aruetii_," Laniff said, not opening his eyes. "If there was anything distinguishing about him, I didn't see it. Besides, I thought you were thinking of a plan, not obsessing over who Jett might be."

"If I know who he is, I can plan around that," Ran explained irritably. "Besides, I'm not the one taking a nap."

"Oh I'm sorry, I've only been crashing through the woods for only _te manda_ knows how long following a man who seems to have some serious trust issues. Not to mention dodging Imperil patrols to find you, and having to pound on every disreputable door in the karking city just to get a hint as to where you might be. You're right, I should be wide awake right now," Laniff retorted sarcastically.

Ran opened his mouth to respond but was cut short by a harsh pounding at the door. Laniff cracked one eye open, looking to Ran.

"Expecting company?" he asked, his voice suddenly low and quiet.

"No," Ran replied shortly, drawing his pistol as Laniff followed suite, rising slowly from the chair.

"Answer the door or duck out the window?" Laniff asked, looking to Ran for direction.

The knocking came again, along with an order to open the door in the name of the Emperor. Ran looked to Laniff with a nod.

"Window," they chorused, scrambling to the dingy transparisteel window and peering out. The street below looked clear and Laniff motioned Ran back, drawing a charge from his belt. He pressed it against the window and stepped back, motioning for Ran to cover his ears. The blast went off with a deafening explosion, sending transparisteel flying.

Ran coughed, following Laniff as the Mandalorian swung himself out of the window and dropped to the ground a few feet below.

"You know, we could have just broken the window," Ran observed, glancing up as the sound of the door being knocked in came from the apartment.

"Why just break something when you can blow it up?" Laniff asked, grinning and settling his helmet into place. "Let's get moving, cityboy. They'll figure out where we went in no time. Even stormtroopers aren't that stupid."

* * *

_A/N: Hope you all are enjoying this so far :) I'm considering opening it up for guest appearances. Any thoughts?  
Speaking of guest appearances, if you all are enjoying Kadira's story I highly recommend you check out Vhetin1138's profile on here. Kadira will be making a guest appearance in his most recent story (Revelation). Go check out his fics, they're pretty amazing!_  
_Anyways, as always I appreciate any and all reviews :) I don't bite, promise!_


	7. Chapter 7

Laniff skidded around the street corner, Ran following close behind as the pursuing stormtroopers continued to gain ground.

"You just had to choose a blasted maze, didn't you?" Laniff grumbled, dodging a merchant's stand and ignoring the owner's angry shouts.

"If it's slowing us down, it's slowing them down too," Ran reminded him, ignoring Laniff's mumbled comments.

The Mandalorian skidded around a second corner only to come to a dead halt, nearly causing Ran to slam into him at full speed.

"What are you-" Ran stopped short as a gold armored woman stepped out of the shadows holding two pistols, one aimed at each of them. "Sithspit."

Coorta chuckled, gesturing to them with her pistols. "It looks like you've made a wrong turn, boys. The worst part is the other street was wide open, just waiting for you to take advantage of it. Just trying to keep the game fair, pity you chose to turn here. Now, would you like to tell me where Kadira has wandered off to? I have some… business… to discuss with her."

"Do you really think I'm going to tell you where my _vod'ika_ is?" Laniff spat, clenching his fists and fighting back the urge to draw his own pistol. He knew Coorta was too fast for him to risk getting Ran killed. "I would think even you _dar'manda Kyr'tsad _would expect more loyalty than that."

Coorta stepped forward and slammed her pistol into Laniff's unprotected neck, simultaneously smashing her booted foot into the back of his knee. Laniff crashed to the duracrete pavement, coughing painfully and clutching his throat. Coorta drove her armored boot into the red and gold Mandalorian's side repeatedly, each blow harder than the last and driven by fury as Laniff fought to regain his breath. The Mandalorian attempted to fight her off, but her blows only increased, leaving him to block them as best as he could and trust his armor to absorb most of the damage.

* * *

Ran started forward to help Laniff with an angry shout, only to find himself staring straight into the barrel of Coorta's second pistol. The woman was breathing hard with anger, but her pistol barely wavered as she stepped back from the Mandalorian. Laniff stayed on the ground, causing Ran to lean forward as if to help him to his feet.

"Not another step, Scorlo. Let the Mando scum scrape himself off the ground. You move and I'll put a blaster bolt through your head so quickly…" Coorta's voice was low and soft, holding a danger not unlike the few times Ran had seen Kadira's temper flare. But Coorta's voice held another element, an utter lack of the control Kadira exhibited, leaving Ran with no doubt that Coorta would carry through on her threat without hesitation.

Slowly, Ran stepped backwards, his hands raised pointedly. "What exactly did you say?" he mumbled to Laniff as the Mandalorian regained his feet painfully, still rubbing his unarmored neck.

"I called her 'No longer Mandalorian'. Don't look at me like that, it's a big deal in the Mando culture," Laniff rasped.

"Great plan," Ran snapped, glaring at the red and gold armored man. Most of his irritation was rooted in concern, as the other man's movements were slow and obviously painful. Ran could only be thankful that Laniff had been wearing armor, else he doubted the Mandalorian would be able to so much as stand.

Laniff muttered something under his breath in Mandalorian, causing Coorta to laugh again.

"Welcome back to the game, Dreysel. You lose. Again. And Scorlo, it's nice to finally meet you. The Empire has wanted to get its hands on you for a long time."

"How did you find us?" Ran asked slowly, eyeing the gold armored woman suspiciously and speaking before Laniff came up with another brilliant comeback. "I covered my tracks."

Coorta lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "Believe me, if I could take the credit I would. But it seems you have an enemy here. We were tipped off by a clone trooper, one we were actually looking for. He let us know your location on the condition that we leave him be. Pity his information was so good, seeing as he won't get his side of the bargain."

"Jett," Laniff growled, clenching his gloved hand into an angry fist.

"Very good, Mando," Coorta said condescendingly. "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner. But I suppose Scorlo really is the brains of the operation. You and Kadira are just the dumb muscle. But then again, things wouldn't be half as fun if you'd actually figured out that Jett had his own angle. Now, as much as I'm enjoying this little talk, I have more important things to do. Such as hunting down your new friend Jett and finding Kadira. I can't have you two getting in the way of all that. Lights out, boys."

Ran barely had time to blink before Coorta fired, the stun bolt striking him and causing blackness to overtake his world.

* * *

Kadira came to slowly, the pounding in her head confirming the blurry memory of Jett's drugged dart. She raised her head cautiously, trying not to move too quickly. The room itself was little more than blurred shapes and shadows, leaving her just as disoriented as she had been with her eyes closed. She blinked repeatedly, trying to force her vision to clear as she quickly took stock of her situation. All her weapons were gone, she could tell that much right away. Her armor was also missing, though that hardly came as a surprise. Jett would have been careful to make sure she wasn't left with anything that might give her an advantage. What did surprise her were the stun cuffs attached to each wrist and the chair she was seated in. She expected to be restrained, but not by cuffs as high quality as these felt. They weren't the cheap kind you could find anywhere in the galaxy – the kind she might have been able to pick if she was lucky. No, these felt much more expensive and sturdy, ruining any hope of a quick escape.

Footsteps alerted her to another presence in the room and she squinted, trying to bring the shadows into focus. A blurred figure made its way into her line of sight, coming within a few feet and crouching down. As her vision began to clear she felt herself go still, memories she had thought long buried rising to the surface.

_Kadira paced outside the commander's office, the sound of her booted steps seeming loud in the silent hall. It was her first review as a scout and she could feel herself shaking with both nervousness and outright fear. She'd worked hard for this position, spent years honing her piloting skills to bring herself to the level she was at. And now everything rested on the next few minutes._

"_Relax, Beautiful," the voice was accompanied by a strong hand on her shoulder, something she could only assume was meant to be comforting. "It's just a review."_

"_Touch me with that hand again, Spike, and you won't get it back," Kadira responded in her whispery voice, shrugging his hand off and ignoring the man's chuckle._

"_Fine, fine. Just trying to be friendly is all," Spike responded, stepping back with both hands raised. "Let me know how it goes, Gorgeous. Good Luck."_

_The office door hissed open and Kadira stepped forward tentatively, trying to fake the confidence she was far from feeling. As she stepped through the doorway she glanced back in time to catch Spike's roguish grin and a wink before the doors slid shut and she turned to face the commander._

"Good to see you again, Gorgeous," Spike said, smiling that familiar grin as Kadira lurched forward, fury burning in her eyes. "Now, now, is that any way to greet an old friend?"

Kadira stopped struggling and glared at him. "_Talyc hut'uunla besom,_" she snapped in reply.

"I swear Kadira; if I didn't know better I'd think you weren't happy to see me. Would you be so kind as to translate, Jett?" Spike tilted his head to the side, waiting for Jett to speak up.

"Sorry. All I got was 'cowardly," Jett replied, stepping out of the shadows with a shrug. "All the rest was too complex."

"I said you bloody, cowardly lout," Kadira translated grimly, wanting him to know exactly what she thought of him. "I should have guessed you'd be behind something like this, you _shabuir_."

"Don't think I want to know what that means," Spike said, flashing his all too familiar grin. "It's good to see you again, Kadira. After you left, I assumed you'd either gone to ground or been shot in some back alley. You were on our radar and then suddenly it was like you didn't even exist anymore. Even the Empire lost sight of you. Then you pop back up, as a smuggler and Mandalorian no less. Who would have ever guessed?" Spike chuckled softly, shaking his head wryly. He leaned forward, taking Kadira's chin between his thumb and forefinger, suddenly serious. Kadira felt herself stiffen slightly, recognizing the change.

"Now, before you use any more of those fancy words you've been learning from your new people or start trying to get free, let me explain something to you. My patience with traitors is very short. No, don't try to deny it. You walked out on the Empire when we needed you. You turned your back on us, you betrayed us. So let me make this clear. You make even one escape attempt and I will kill you without hesitating. You continue to insult me with every breath and I will kill you. I have no qualms with ending your life, no matter what used to be between us. Do you understand?" Spike's eyes were dark and menacing, reminding Kadira of just how ruthless he could be.

"I understand that you're a murderer and a liar," Kadira responded finally, her ruined voice low and filled with both memories and pain. "But I also know you want me alive. If you didn't, you wouldn't have wasted your time dragging me here. You would have had Jett shoot me in the back and leave me in the woods to rot."

Spike was silent a moment before he smiled, though the expression never reached his eyes. "Ah Kadira, always so observant. You are right in one sense. I _want_ you alive, if at all possible. But other arrangements can be made, Gorgeous. This is just the most convenient one. I suggest you try to remember that."

Kadira smiled tightly in response before slamming her head forward into the bridge of his nose, causing him to stumble backward with a string of curses.

"And you berate me about my language," Kadira said impishly, her mouth pulling upward in a smile. Spike turned back towards her slowly, his eyes dark with anger.

"Spike," Jett stepped forward and pulled the man back, obviously sensing that whatever was about to happen wouldn't be good. "You hurt her and it will make Scorlo even angrier. We need him to have a clear head for this."

Spike took a slow breath, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers and wincing.

"…You're right," he said finally, turning back to Kadira. "That was your only warning, Gorgeous. You don't have to be conscious for this plan to work. But as you well know, the drugs I'd use to keep you under have some nasty side effects. So either you behave or it's lights out until we have what we want. Your choice."

Kadira hesitated, studying his face as if to be certain he was actually giving her the option. "I'll behave," she said at last, tilting her head to the side in assent. "But I can't help it if you leave me an opening I can't resist."

Spike flashed another of his signature smiles, kneeling down and placing his face close to hers to make his point. She had no control here, he did. Still, she had to fight the urge to slam her head into his again just for good measure.

"You never could keep that pretty mouth shut when you had something to say. I did tell you it would come back to haunt you," he said, lifting her chin with one finger. He studied her face for a moment before dropping his hand and stepping back. "Jett, get ready to get in touch with Ran. He and Dreysel should be about done with their guests by now. We've waited long enough."

* * *

Laniff woke to the sight of duracrete passing in front of him rapidly, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut in an effort to fight off the nausea that threatened. He could feel the stormtroopers hands beneath his arms as they dragged him through the streets of the city, twisting and turning as they made their way into one of the poorer districts. The duracrete grew grimier as they continued to move, the lights overhead flickering. The HUD of his helmet was dark, leaving him only the T shaped visor to see through. Without the advanced systems his helmet normally offered, he was left practically blind. Even surrounded by a whole troop of stormtroopers, he didn't like being unable to see whatever might be lurking in the shadows here. He had heard rumors in the prison, stories of what happened in these districts. If push came to shove, Laniff had absolutely no faith in the stormtroopers abilities to keep him alive. He remembered Kadira saying once that stormtroopers couldn't hit the floor if they fell on it, and he was rather inclined to agree. As for Coorta, she was nowhere to be found. Laniff could only assume she was already on the hunt for Kadira, leaving him with an even greater sense of unease.

He turned his head slowly to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of Ran. What he saw made him wince, as the man was still unconscious and also being dragged. Unfortunately Ran didn't have _beskar_ armor to protect him from scrapes and bruises like Laniff did.

Laniff sighed slightly, letting his head drop back down. He was going to have to get them out of this himself, since Ran obviously wasn't going to be much help. He timed his move carefully, waiting until they were approaching one of the many street corners. The troopers all tensed slightly and looked at the beings milling about with mistrust and nervousness, alerting Laniff to the fact that the troopers obviously didn't feel any more comfortable in this part of the city than he did.

Laniff smiled grimly before planting his feet and driving his body upward swiftly. The top of his head caught one of the troopers under the jaw, sending the man crashing to the ground. Laniff took care of the other trooper holding him just as easily, twisting the trooper's arm behind his back and slamming him into the sturdy walls of the surrounding buildings.

Laniff spun to face the other troopers, only to find them fending off the beings who had apparently decided to join in the fight. Laniff ducked as one of the combatants swung a wild fist, nearly catching him full in the faceplate.

"Hit the guys in white, _di'kut_," Laniff snapped, sidestepping a zabrak and stormtrooper wrestling over the trooper's blaster. Laniff continued to make him way through the crowd, taking more than one hit as he struggled to find Ran. More than once Laniff knocked someone to the ground, tired of being beaten to a pulp by anyone looking for a punching bag.

The brawl continued to grow in volume, leaving Laniff scrambling to find Ran as more and more citizens took the opportunity to attack the troopers. He finally found Ran still unconscious, thankfully out of the center of the fight. Muttering under his breath, Laniff managed to haul Ran to his feet, placing one of Ran's arms over his own armored shoulder and beginning to fight his way to the edges of the crowd. He could feel blows raining down on the back of his _beskar'gam_ as he struggled out of the fight, elbowing aside anyone who was either too stupid or too stubborn to get out of the way.

As they finally broke through the last lines of the brawl, Laniff breathed a sigh of relief.

"Next time, Ran, you get to be the rescuer," he muttered, disappearing into the dark alleys to look for a place to hole up until he and Ran could begin their search for Kadira. He had a feeling this was far from over.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry for the long delay in chapters, college life has been insane the past few weeks! So thank you all for being so patient with me. As always, I absolutely love reviews! …Please? :)_


	8. Chapter 8

Laniff deposited Ran on the ground, surveying the dark interior of the abandoned warehouse he had chosen to take shelter in. It had been a hasty choice, but apparently a good one. There was plenty of cover behind old machines, giving them a fair chance of holding out if they found themselves in a shootout. There was also a large window on the second floor, leaving them a way to escape if the troopers somehow managed to find a way out of the crowd and were still determined to chase them down. Granted, Ran probably wouldn't appreciate either the jump or the fact that Laniff would need to use his jetpack for the landing, but it was certainly a better option than getting shot. Or stuck in another prison, for that matter.

A light inside his helmet's HUD caught his attention, alerting him to an incoming comm signal from Kadira. He felt himself relax as he activated the comm with two rapid blinks, smiling. He had been starting to worry. After all, it had been some time since he'd left the woods to find Ran.

"Good to hear from you, _vod'ika_," he said, placing one hand to the side of his helmet. "What's the update with our trooper friend?"

_::Kadira's busy at the moment, actually.:: _The accented voice that came over the comm was definitely not Kadira's. Laniff froze, his hand unconsciously dropping to rest on the butt of his pistol.

"What did you do to her, Jett? Where's Kadira?" Laniff growled.

_::_Kad'ika_ is fine. Not in the best of moods, but alive. She's been courteous enough to teach me more of your language, though I doubt I could use most of it in polite conversation. But that's not why I'm contacting you. I need to talk to Scorlo. Don't deny you're with him, I already know you are.::_

Laniff clenched his jaw, fighting back a multitude of choice words. "…Not until I know Kadira is alive and well. You could be bluffing for all I know."

There was a pause and Laniff felt his body tense even more. His main concern now was that Jett would be unable to back up his claim because Kadira was already dead. If that were the case then Jett would get a taste of how vengeful Mandalorians could be.

_::He's telling the truth, Laniff,::_Kadira's whispery voice barely carried through the comm, but Laniff relaxed nonetheless. He could hear the tight anger in her voice, as well as a strain that shouldn't have been there. He frowned, knowing she'd been in tighter spots before. Something else was wrong, something he obviously was unaware of. _::Sorry, _vod_. I should have paid more attention to the _chakaar_.::_

"Are you alright?" Laniff asked, brushing aside her apology impatiently.

::_I'm fine. I'm apparently wanted alive for now. It must be my charming personality,_:: There was silence for a moment then Kadira sighed, sounding even more frustrated. ::_He's taking the comm back, _Lan'ika_. Be careful.::_

Laniff nodded sharply, not seeming to care that she couldn't see the gesture. "_Kad'ika_? If you get the chance, shoot him."

She laughed. _::You didn't even have to ask.::_

::_What she means to say is that it's time to hand the comm to Scorlo, Laniff,_:: Jett's voice cut in, followed by the background sound of a few choice Mandalorian insults. Laniff smiled grimly, looking over to find Ran watching him closely.

"You're in luck, _hut'uun_. He just woke up."

* * *

Ran used his elbows to push himself off the ground, wincing at the stiffness in his muscles. He had no idea what had transpired since Coorta had hit him with the stun bolt. All he knew was that his head hurt, he felt like he'd been trampled, and Laniff looked ready to shoot someone. In short, it didn't look promising. The only good thing he could only assume was that they were free of Coorta and the stormtroopers, seeing as Laniff still wore his armor and had his pistol at his side. Even stormtroopers weren't stupid enough to leave a captive Mandalorian fully armed.

Ran raised both eyebrows at Laniff, his concern mounting as he caught the last part of the conversation. Apparently Laniff hadn't turned off his helmet's vocoder, allowing Ran to hear one side of the conversation. The Mandalorian's voice seemed grim and his posture spoke of outright fury.

Laniff unclipped a small device from his gauntlet, apparently already having transferred his helmet feed. Ran lifted his eyebrows higher, waiting for some sort of explanation.

"It's Jett. He has Kadira. He says he wants to talk with you," Laniff's voice was clipped and quiet, causing Ran to worry even more.

Ran frowned and took the comm, watching as Laniff strode away with clenched fists. Ran had never seen the Mandalorian this angry before. Truth be told, it was unnerving.

"This is Scorlo," Ran said finally, rubbing his forehead with one hand wearily.

_::Nice to hear from you again, Scorlo. I won't waste your time on false pleasantries. I have a job for you.::_

"And why would I take this job? You've kidnapped my pilot, and from what I hear you tipped the troopers off to our location. I should be hunting you," Ran replied, his voice deceptively calm. Even Laniff turned, seeming to sense the underlying danger in Ran's tone. Ran rose stiffly to his feet and paced as he waited for Jett to answer.

_::Unless you want to lose another pilot, I suggest you take the job,:: _Jett answered smoothly, unruffled by Ran's barely disguised threat.

"You won't kill her," Ran replied, shaking his head. "If you do, you lose any leverage you have. And if you have no leverage, then there's nothing to keep me from killing you."

It was a dangerous bluff, but he had to at least try. He had a feeling Kadira would play the exact same game if she was in his place.

_::Look, Scorlo. I like _Kad'ika_, and I'd hate to have to put a plasma bolt between her eyes. But it's not my call. Either you do as you're told, or a body shows up on your doorstep.I suggest you make this easier on all of us and just do things my way.::_

Ran glanced over to Laniff, knowing the Mandalorian would want a voice in this decision. Laniff slipped his helmet off and ran one gloved hand through his hair before nodding sharply.

Ran took a slow breath. "What exactly is the job?"

::_You'll be rescuing a few of my_ vod. _They're pinned down on a backwater planet, with the Empire refusing to send reinforcements._ _Your job is to get them out alive and in one piece. Then we can talk about _Kad'ika_ getting returned to you.::_

Ran rubbed his face with one hand grimly. "Alright. But I'll need every speck of intel you have in order to plan this."

_::It's already transmitting to Laniff's HUD. And Scorlo? This is nothing personal. I just want my _vod_ out alive and in one piece.::_

"You made it personal when you kidnapped a member of my team, Jett," Ran replied grimly. "I'll be in touch as soon as I have a plan. If you even so much as touch my pilot, the deal is off and I will track you down."

Ran cut the communication before Jett could reply, tossing the comm back to Laniff. The Mandalorian caught it easily, reattaching it to his gauntlet with a snap. Ran began to pace the room, frowning in concentration as they waited for the intel to finish downloading.

"I can track the signal," Laniff observed. "If we know where they're holed up, we can storm the place and get Kadira out."

"Do you really want to get your _vod_ killed? We go in there and it's all over, Laniff," Ran snapped, still pacing. "He's expecting it. If we try to rescue her she _will_ die. No question about it."

Laniff fell silent, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. He knew Ran was right, but he hated playing along with Jett's game. Hated the tension he had heard in Kadira's voice, a signal that not all was as it appeared. Something was wrong, something they weren't seeing.

"There's more to this than a rescue," Ran said finally, almost as if he was reading Laniff's mind. "I don't think Jett planned this out on his own..."

"Then who helped him?"

"…My best guess is an old friend of mine. Though 'friend' probably isn't the right word," Ran said finally, shaking his head. "This isn't going to be like anything we've ever tried to pull off. Not if this is who I think it is."

Laniff sighed. "Then we go in with everything we have. We'll need to get the _Vanguard_ back, and we're going to need some help. One Mando and one advisor aren't going to be enough for this job."

Ran nodded in agreement. "The more people we have, the more likely it is that we'll be able to get Kadira back… Start talking to your contacts, see who you can find to help us out. I'll get to work on analyzing the data and forming a plan."

Ran sighed and rubbed his face with one hand. This was definitely personal. If Spike was involved - and Ran was almost positive he was - then things were going to get ugly, and fast.

* * *

Kadira leaned against the durasteel grating of her new cell, her arms dangling on the outside as she watched Jett through the bars. Spike had chosen to allow her to stay in one of the Trandoshian-built cells, figuring that if it could hold a Wookiee it could probably hold her. Unfortunately she hadn't found a way to prove him wrong just yet.

"This isn't about me," she said finally, knowing the answer but waiting for Jett's reply anyway.

Jett looked up from cleaning his rifle with a sigh. "No. Not even close," he answered, looking back down. "I didn't even know you were involved until Spike came into the picture. He pointed me in the right direction, showed me how to get to Scorlo. You just happened to be the right answer to the question."

"And what is it about for him? He doesn't just help out from the goodness of his heart, Jett. What does he get from all this?"

Jett shrugged, avoiding her gaze. "That's not my concern."

"Fierfek, Jett!" Kadira snapped, losing patience. She wished Jett was at least close enough for her to kick. As it was she could only lean her forehead against the cool bars of the cell, struggling to control her already short temper. "He walks in and plans out this whole elaborate plot and you don't even wonder why? Stars, are you really that naïve?"

Jett set his rifle aside carefully before leaning forward, looking her directly in the eye. "It's not that I haven't wondered, _Kad'ika_," he said, his voice low. "It's that I really don't care, so long as I get my brothers back. That's my only goal here. Anything after that is between you and Spike, or Spike and Ran, or whoever else in the galaxy wants to make it their business."

Kadira stared at him silently, her mouth drawn in a grim line. Jett watched her closely, seeming surprised by the fact she had nothing left to say. Finally he sighed.

"I'm not trying to get your friends killed, _Kad'ika_. Like I told Scorlo, all I want is to have my _vod_ rescued," Jett said gently.

"You might not want to get them killed, Jett, but that doesn't mean they won't die. Spike isn't…" she trailed off as footsteps echoed in the hall.

"I'm not what?" Spike ducked through the room's door, brows lifted curiously. "Please, continue. I'm just dying to know."

There was an edge to his voice that Kadira was careful to take note of. She watched him closely for a moment, crossing her arms and leaning against the cell wall as she studied him.

"…You have no honor," she said finally. "You would order a strike on a civilian target just because there are suspected rebels in the vicinity. You would lie to your scouts about it, claiming they were just transporting troops to restock a garrison. And you would order your soldiers to turn their guns on those same scouts who tried to protest. And Force only knows what else you've done that I don't know about."

Spike shook his head mockingly, coming to lean against the cell with his face only inches from hers. "Getting a bit personal now, aren't we?" he asked softly. "You ought to know better than that by now. Let me clarify something, gorgeous. Those scouts died because they stuck their noses where they didn't belong. They saw what they weren't supposed to see and so they were taken care of. It's that simple. You ought to count yourself lucky that you weren't among the dead."

"Those were good men," Kadira responded.

"And they were also a liability. It's not personal, Kadira. It's just how things are," Spike said, pushing himself off the grating with a shrug.

Kadira watched as he left the room, leaving her to wrestle with his words and her memories.

* * *

Coorta leaned casually on her rifle, paying close attention to the data her helmet's HUD was feeding her. The troopers under her command were spread out behind her, waiting on her orders. She glanced back at them and sighed. What she wouldn't give for a handful of Death Watch warriors instead of these _di'kutla_ stormtroopers. Their white armor stood out like beacons against the gray stone of this part of the city, with the troopers doing little to try to disguise themselves. She might as well shoot a flare through the window to announce their presence.

Coorta shook her head irritably and looked back to the building, studying it. She had to admit, Jett had chosen a good place to hole up. The building was solidly constructed, though it looked fairly run down. Coorta's scanners were picking up only one entrance, probably heavily defended and boasting an alarm system. Even the skylights had been covered with heavy durasteel plating, rendering a rooftop solution out of the question.

"Looks like we're going in the front door," Coorta murmured, lifting her rifle to her shoulder and striding towards the door.

The troopers followed behind her, stopping when she halted to inspect the entry. She never was one to let an obstacle stand in the way of her hunt. Kneeling, she placed two charges and stepped back a few paces, motioning the troopers to do the same. When they were clear of the blast radius she slammed her fist down on the detonator, smiling as the door was blown off its hinges. An alarm began to blare, but Coorta paid it no mind, instead signaling her troopers to enter the building and spread out. She could feel the adrenaline rushing through her system as she ducked through the door. The hunt had started, and she knew her prey was close by.

"Time to repay some old debts, Kadira Sal," Coorta murmured, shouldering her rifle and starting into the maze of a building.

* * *

_A/N: Reviews, anyone? I'm considering opening my next story to guest appearances by other characters, send me a message if you're interested and I'll see if I can work them in! Of course, I'll credit you for your character(s) and not do anything crazy to them :) As always, thanks for reading so far!_


	9. Chapter 9

Kadira's head snapped up as the sound of an alarm shredded the silence, sending Jett rocketing to his feet. The sound of blasterfire reached their ears, causing Jett to snatch his rifle and pull his helmet over his head grimly. His HUD blinked into existence, different from the kind he'd heard the Mandalorians used, but still effective. It was already registering the damage to the building; leaving him to grimly check his rifle to be sure he had plenty of ammunition.

"Looks like we have some visitors," he said, glancing in Kadira's direction. She was alert, her gray eyes fixed grimly on the door. Strangely, she appeared completely calm, leaving him to wonder how many times she'd been in a situation like this. He supposed it shouldn't surprise him, seeing as she was a Mandalorian. They tended to get themselves into the worst kind of scrapes.

"Give me a pistol," she said, her rasping voice steady as she glanced at him. "Or even a vibroblade, anything to keep me from being just a fancy target."

Jett shook his head, tapping the pistol at his side with two fingers. It was fully charged, and he had a feeling he was going to need every shot. Kadira's weapons were stored away somewhere safe, leaving him with no extras to give her.

"Sorry _Kad'ika_, can't do that. Stay put and yell if someone comes through the door while I'm gone," Jett slid a magazine into the rifle, bringing it up to his shoulder.

"I can't yell, _di'kut_," Kadira growled, glaring at his back. The blaster fire continued, causing her to glance at the door again. She looked at him, obviously uncomfortable without a weapon in her hand. Not surprising, of course. Kadira didn't strike him as the type to sit on the sidelines of a fight, which was exactly what he was asking her to do.

"You'll figure something out," Jett responded with a shrug that he knew would irritate her, ducking out the door and swinging the heavy durasteel shut behind him. He had a feeling he'd get an earful when he got back, but that was the least of his worries right now. He tried raising Spike on the comm, but the man didn't answer. Jett guessed he was probably busy with his own problems at the moment. Apparently this was Jett's to handle.

The infrared setting in his HUD informed him that the majority of the invading forces were in the building's main room, just outside the hall. They were mostly bunched together, not nearly as spread out as they should be in a situation like this. Jett slid carefully around the corner and behind some debris, careful to stay in the shadows.

The troopers were all dressed in their usual white armor, making them perfect targets in a building this dark. Especially when they stood directly in the small beams of light filtering in through the few holes in the building's shoddy roof. Jett shook his head wryly, ducking back down to check his rifle once more, just to be safe. He would also have the advantage of surprise; the troopers wouldn't expect someone dressed as one of their own to be firing at them. Their confusion would offer him only a small edge, but it was all he'd need.

Jett turned and took a slow breath, taking careful aim before opening fire. The warehouse was lit up by the red light his shots cast, throwing the troopers into even starker contrast with their surroundings. He continued his barrage even as the troopers began to fall, ignoring their shouts of surprise and pain as their careful discipline broke apart. Jett didn't even blink as he loaded another clip into his rifle. He resumed firing as soon as the weapon was ready, all conscious thought gone. He had been trained to fight and kill, and this was no different. Even if they were wearing trooper armor, it made no difference. His job was to find and help his _vod_, not worry about a new batch of inferior clones. They had invaded his territory, and it would be the last mistake they would make.

* * *

Kadira let out a slow breath, leaning her forehead against the cold bars of her cell. She could still hear the sounds of blasterfire, but had given up on getting Jett to come back and hand her some sort of weapon. Truthfully, she couldn't blame him. She probably _would_ turn a pistol on him as soon as their attackers were repelled. Pity the clone knew it, or she'd be much less worried right now. Listening to an attack was bad enough, but watching a closed door and knowing that whoever came through it next would have no problem killing you was even worse. Especially when she was left with no weapons or armor.

She growled low in her throat, frustrated. Laniff had once warned her that she was too reliant on her weapons and especially her armor and its advanced systems. Apparently he had been right, and she doubted that he'd ever let her live it down once she got out of this mess.

She looked up quickly as something slammed into the heavy durasteel door, causing the metal to buckle slightly. She had a feeling that was _not_ Jett. He would have just opened the door, not tried to break it down with whatever had left such an impressive dent. Her suspicion was confirmed when the entrance was blown open, leaving only twisted metal where the door had been seconds before. A gold armored woman stepped through the newly made entry and Kadira groaned, knowing Coorta would have already spotted her. That was the problem with Mandalorian tech. When it was in your hands it was fantastic. Not so much when your enemy was the one who had it, and Coorta had the best.

"You never give up, do you?" Kadira asked, lounging against the bars of the cell. Now she really wished Jett had given her a pistol. Not that it would have done much good, seeing as Coorta was in full armor and Kadira was stuck in a cell in civilian clothing. The woman didn't have to be much of a shot to take out a sitting duck, after all. Still, it would have made Kadira feel better to at least go out fighting.

"No welcoming party?" Coorta asked, slipping her helmet off and glancing around the room. "Pity. I was expecting your clone friend to be standing guard."

"He told me to yell if anyone came," Kadira responded coldly, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. "Guess he wasn't too worried about you getting through the door." Kadira craned her neck to view the damage, nodding in mock approval. "You should have been an architect; it's amazing how much that opens up the room."

"Cut the attitude, Sal. You're dead and you know it," Coorta crossed her arms, obviously proud of that accomplishment. She tilted her head, studying Kadira's face, her eyes resting on Kadira's scarred features long enough to make the Mandalorian bristle.

"And all it took was you and a whole troop of stromtroopers," Kadira said mockingly, clapping her hands slowly. Being politic was definitely not her strongpoint when she was cornered. Yet another character flaw she'd probably never get the chance to work on. "I would say I'm impressed, but not quite. Flattered, yes. After all, I'm in a prison cell and you still thought you'd need backup."

Coorta fired her blaster, the round slamming into the duracrete floor of Kadira's cell just inches from the Mandalorian's booted feet. Kadira cursed and jumped back, eying the smoking scorch mark uneasily. Things were definitely starting to get out of hand. Where was Jett when she actually needed him?

"Now that wasn't very polite," she observed. "That or you really need to adjust your sights."

"No one has ever accused me of tact," Coorta responded dryly, fiddling with the sights on her pistol, Kadira suspected for show. If Coorta was trying to make her nervous, it was definitely working. She knew Coorta wasn't going to take prisoners this time. The gold armored woman wouldn't miss again, and Kadira was out of options. Laniff and Ran weren't here to back her up, and she had no brilliant plan of her own to rely on. Bluffing and bravado were obviously getting her nowhere.

"I can see why," Kadira responded through gritted teeth, eying Coorta's pistol grimly. "After all, most people don't try to blow up someone's ship just to say hello."

Coorta chuckled and leveled her pistol again, tilting her head. "It's been an enjoyable game, Sal. But your time's up."

* * *

Jett ducked as the sound of an explosion reached his ears. The display in his helmet informed him it had come from behind him, exactly where Kadira was being held. He cursed and glanced over the debris he was crouched behind to see the two remaining stormtroopers with raised rifles, all that was left of the invaders. A blaster bolt struck the duracrete inches from his face, a grim reminder that he shouldn't allow himself to be distracted right now. It was a good way to get shot. He ducked and ran behind one of the building's support beams, letting out a slow breath.

He had to hurry and finish this, before everything spiraled even further out of control. If someone had found Kadira, then the stubborn Mandalorian wouldn't stand a chance. He had left her sitting in the middle of a cell, the perfect target. And he'd been very careful to make sure she was left with no weapons, something he was definitely regretting now. The last thing he wanted was Kadira's death on his conscience and Scorlo hunting him down for it.

Jett shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and focus on the moment at hand once more. He still had two troopers to take down before he could help Kadira, and worrying about her wouldn't get him anywhere. He took a slow breath and glanced down at his rifle, checking to be sure there was still power left. Seeing he was in the clear, he pushed himself to his feet and spun, repeatedly squeezing the trigger and sprinting back the way he'd come as the two troopers crumpled to the ground, unmoving. He didn't bother to stop, knowing his shots had hit home. His HUD's lifescanners only confirmed it, leaving him with a grim sense of satisfaction. Maybe the Empire would think twice next time it tried to double cross someone. They probably wouldn't, but still. It was a matter of principle.

The clone skidded around the corner, taking in the remains of the door with a glance. He wedged his shoulder against the ruined door frame, using the support to steady his aim as he brought his rifle to his shoulder.

"Drop it, Mashiri," he ordered, his rifle aimed steadily at the blonde woman whose pistol was in turn trained on Kadira.

"Well you certainly took your time," Kadira remarked, the relief on her face belying the sharpness of her tone. She relaxed and resumed leaning against the cell with her arms dangling casually on the outside, seemingly unperturbed by the fact that she was still staring into the barrel of a pistol held by a woman with a vendetta. Apparently she was willing to trust Jett to keep her from getting killed. "What, did you stop for caf on your way?"

"Not quite. Mashiri, I said put it down," Jett growled.

"Walk away, _clone_," Coorta replied coolly, ignoring Kadira's sarcastic comments. "This doesn't concern you."

Jett's rifle powered up with a high pitched whine as he flipped a switch on the weapon's stock, silently thanking Spike for the upgrade. "Actually, it does. Now put it down or I shoot."

Coorta glanced at Jett, then back at Kadira. "There's a whole squad of troopers-"

"Dead in the halls, Mashiri. You won't be getting any help from them, so _drop it_," Jett interrupted. He saw Coorta hesitate, obviously struggling with the decision. To come so close to her target, only to be told to give it up...

Finally, she snarled something in Mandalorian and tossed the pistol aside. Kadira winced at whatever Coorta said, but seemed content to have the pistol out of play.

"I don't think I'll translate that…" Kadira trailed off and straightened as Jett's finger tightened on the trigger. Her voice suddenly became serious as she saw Jett's intent, all traces of relaxation gone. "Don't. Jett..."

Coorta's glanced to him and froze, her eyes flicking from his helmet to his rifle and back again. No doubt she was regretting removing her helmet, for Jett saw the beginnings of fear flicker in the woman's eyes. Still, his aim didn't waver.

"She made her choice, _Kad'ika_. She chose to come in here and take her chances, and she lost the gamble. Now she pays the price."

"Jett, stop!" Kadira snapped, her ruined voice cracking as she slammed her hand into the bar of her cell emphatically. "There is _no_ honor in this. Quit being such a _di'kut_ and put down the blasted rifle."

Jett hesitated a moment longer before slowly lowering his rifle from his shoulder, not entirely happy about it. He heard Kadira breathe a sigh of relief and Coorta gave the Mandalorian a grudging nod of thanks, though her expression said the score was far from even.

"This doesn't make us friends, Mando, I'll still kill you one day," Coorta remarked, but she raised her hands in clear surrender, obviously unwilling to take her chances with Jett. Kadira simply inclined her head wryly, apparently too relieved to pursue the argument. Jett had no doubt they'd take it back up another time, probably in the near future. Death Watch and Mandalorians could never be civil for long. It simply wasn't in either group's nature to tolerate the other, with good reason.

Jett started to step forward, intending to cuff Coorta when a single shot shattered the temporary peace and Coorta crumpled to the floor without a sound, her expression frozen in one of surprise. Kadira let out a hoarse shout and lurched forward, her gaze immediately snapping to the shot's origin as her shoulder impacted against the unrelenting bars of the cage. Jett also spun, his rifle lifted and as he mentally registered Kadira's shock at seeing Coorta fall without warning. Spike stepped out of the shadows, spinning his pistol and holstering it at his waist calmly.

"You should have taken the shot, Jett," he said quietly, nudging Coorta's body with his booted foot.

"Congratulations, _chakaar_," Kadira spat venomously, recovering from her shock and falling into outright fury. Jett could see her shaking as she looked down at Coorta's corpse. He was back to being thankful she had no weapon, as he had no doubt she would have used it on Spike just then. He'd never seen her this furious before, and he'd done plenty of things to anger her in the short time he'd known her. "You just shot an unarmed woman. I hope you're karking _proud_ of yourself, you _hut'uunla shabuir_."

Spike lifted one shoulder disdainfully, looking unperturbed by both Kadira's anger and the body at his feet. "Please. She was your enemy, Kadira. She would have killed you in a heartbeat, and she certainly would never have talked Jett out of shooting you in the skull. I simply took her out of the game. I'd say I did you a favor." He shrugged dismissively and turned to Jett, motioning to the remains of the door behind the clone. "We need to get out of here and to another safehouse. I have a feeling Agent Dain will come looking for her loyal kath hound soon, and I'd rather not be here when she does. Leave the bodies for her to find, maybe she'll take a hint. And make sure Kadira is _not_ conscious when we move her. She tends to be reckless when she's angry, and I'd say we're past that point."

With that, Spike ducked out of the room to gather the supplies they'd need to take with them. Jett glanced at Kadira's face and winced, grateful for the helmet that hid his expression. This was not going to be an easy job, and he had a feeling he was going to regret it later.

"Are you going to make this easy or hard, _Kad'ika_?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"What do you think, _di'kut_?"

Hard it was, then. Jett sighed and loaded a dart into his gauntlet.

* * *

Laniff groaned and removed his helmet to rub his face with one hand wearily. He'd been in touch with every one of his contacts and had come up with only one lead, and it was tenuous at best. He glanced up at Ran, taking in the man's grim expression.

"No luck?" Laniff asked wearily, pushing himself to his feet and stretching.

"You wouldn't believe how much security they have around the _Vanguard_," Ran replied grimly, shaking his head as he stared at the holofeeds in front of him. "If it was any other ship, I'd say we steal another one and let the Imps exhaust themselves guarding it."

"But we need the _Vanguard_'s systems," Laniff observed grimly. "It has some of the most advanced tech I've ever seen, and that's saying a lot coming from a _Mando'ade_. _Kad'ika_ didn't spare any expense on that hunk of metal."

Ran nodded grimly in agreement, studying the images in front of him as if the answer was lying buried in them somewhere and he had simply been missing it for the past few hours. Laniff couldn't blame the man, they were both desperate for solutions to the problems each had chosen to tackle. At least Laniff had made a small amount of headway in his task.

Laniff suddenly frowned and leaned forward. "How close are those beams to the _Vanguard_, would you say?" he asked slowly, pointing to the massive support beams in the hangar, an idea forming.

"Too close. We collapse them and the whole structure goes down. They'd land directly on the _Vanguard_, pinning it," Ran explained. "And I really don't want to be the one to explain to Kadira that we crushed her ship."

But Laniff was shaking his head. "I'm guessing they're made from durasteel?"

Ran nodded, obviously uncertain where the Mandalorian was going with this train of thought. "According to the building plans, yes…"

Laniff leaned back and smiled. "I think I may have just solved our problem, _vod_. Did Kadira ever tell you about the, ah, _special_ modifications she made to the Vanguard?"

Ran shook his head slowly and Laniff's grin widened.

"She called it a custom security system. Thankfully, I have the codes…" Ran looked completely lost, and Laniff decided to take pity on him and explain. "If we activate this system it releases a wave of electrical energy. Kinda like the whole area got struck by lightning, knocking out anything in range, both electrical and organic. Its range is small, but if those durasteel supports are close enough to both the Vanguard and to each other…"

"Then we can turn the whole thing into one massive lightning storm, knocking the troopers out of play," Ran said, understanding dawning on his face. "Not to mention any electronic security the Imps have on the ship would be fried as well. The roof's support cables are durasteel also, which makes it that much easier. Will the ship give out one big pulse, or multiple small ones?"

Laniff shrugged. "That's flexible, either way can work. There _is_ one tiny risk though."

"Us getting fried?" Ran asked dryly.

"Ah, well, there's that too. I was actually going to mention the fact that if we use the system too much, or if the energy wave is too large, then we'll fry all of the _Vanguard_'s systems. Which would leave us with a dead ship and a _really_ annoyed Kadira when we get her back."

Ran blew out a breath and looked back to the holofeed. Finally he shrugged. "I haven't got a better idea. We'll just have to make sure we don't overload it."

Laniff grinned and grabbed his helmet. He had been hoping for an explosive solution, but this was close enough. Ran chuckled and turned off the holoprojector, looking relieved to finally have a plan.

"Find any leads from your contacts?" he asked, and Laniff winced.

"Uh, yeah… But you're not going to like it. My contact pointed me to a fellow _Mando'ade_, someone Kadira met briefly in the past."

"Why am I not going to like it?" Ran asked slowly.

"Because he's apparently a crazy _shabuir_," Laniff answered innocently. "Rumor has it he's a complete sociopath."

Ran sighed. "Nothing is ever easy…" he murmured, shaking his head. He looked up at Laniff, raising his eyebrows questioningly. "What is it you Mandos say before a hunt?"

Laniff smiled and slipped his helmet over his head, blinking to activate the advanced HUD.

"_Oya_."

* * *

_A/N: Keep an eye out for the next story, _vode_ :)_ _I should have it up within the next couple of weeks, if not sooner. As always, I absolutely love reviews and would greatly appreciate your input :) Thanks for sticking with _Kad'ika's_ stories so far!_


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